5 Odd Animal News Stories You Missed this Week

1. A Big Cat Loose in Detroit

On Tuesday, Detroit locals spotted a large cat lurking around their neighborhood, making some families afraid to leave their homes. Believed by some residents to be a Savanna Cat, or the cross between an African Serval and a domestic cat, this ferocious feline, weighing in at 25 pounds, kept residents on their toes for almost a week. Sadly, this story does not have a happy ending for the wayward feline; the Savanna Cat was found in a dumpster on Thursday before the feral cat rescue group, Paws for the Cause, could find the animal.

2. Two Kittens Stopped Traffic in NYC Subways for Almost 2 Hours

Photo from CNN.com

Luckier in their nine lives than Detroit’s big cat, two kittens somehow made it onto New York City’s subway tracks on Thursday, and weren’t caught until 7 hours later. For two hours, 6 miles of track on B and Q lines between Kings Highway and DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn were closed to subway traffic, and the dangerous electrified third rail turned off.

Despite those efforts, the kittens didn’t show themselves again until hours later, but were quickly scooped up once sighted. The curious cats were taken to a local shelter.

3. iPad Puppies

Well, its finally happened. Thanks to Anna Jane Grossman, a journalist-turned-dog-trainer, there are now classes being offered in NYC teaching dogs how to use iPads. But, despite what you may think, its not just a gimmick. Training your dog to use an iPad helps them develop the ability to learn tougher tricks. Using dog-friendly apps like Doodle Buddy (a puppy Paint) and Big Photo (a camera for dogs), Grossman is helping bring dogs into the digital age.

4. The Dolphins Are Sick

A mysterious strain of deep sea measles struck dolphin populations again, killing 333 dolphins as of Monday. The last outbreak happening in 1987, and this strange resurgence is thought to have been transmitted to coastal dolphins by offshore marine mammals. Now being called a morbillivirus outbreak, the coastal dolphins do not have a strong enough immune system to fight off the infection, leading to a high rate of spreading.

While this may mean for a tough couple of months for our aquatic friends, marine biologists believe this to be a routine part of the viruses cycle, killing off susceptible dolphins, and leaving those with immune systems strong enough to fend off the outbreak, leading to a healthier dolphin population overall.

5. Colonel Meow Gets into the Guiness Book

It looks like the Guinness Book is going to have a new member! On Thursday, Colonel Meow was inducted into the world famous record book for having the longest fur of any domestic cat. Some, however, contest this victory, saying that Colonel Meow’s hair is of average length for his breed, and that this is just a ploy by the people at the Guinness Book to stir up some competition in this new category, as Colonel Meow is the first and only recipient of this honor. Looks pretty long to me!